Madonna: Really speaking truth to power

In the romanticized world of some artists, criticizing the U.S. government is a brave act of resistance — “speaking truth to power,” “dissent is the highest form of patriotism,” and such clichés. Some artists think it’s especially brave to go to another country (think Sean Penn in Venezuela or Natalie Maines in Britain) to criticize the U.S. government

Except that in the United States, your right to free political speech is constitutionally protected. No one runs the risk of going to jail for calling Barack Obama a Marxist or George W. Bush a Nazi.

In Russia (Venezuela, China, Iran and many other countries), that’s not the case, as the members of the feminist punk-rock group Pussy Riot discovered. The Associated Press reports:

Prosecutors have called for three-year prison sentences for the Pussy Riot band members, who have already been in custody for five months after giving an impromptu performance in Moscow’s main cathedral to call for an end to Vladimir Putin’s rule.

During the show, which started more than two hours late, Madonna paused and gave a brief speech, reflecting on the privileges of American freedom and democracy. “As an artist, as a human being, as a woman, I have freedom to express my point of view, even if other people don’t agree with me,” she said. “Even if my government doesn’t agree with me.”

“So I just want to say a few words about Pussy Riot,” she continued. “I know there are many sides to every story, and I mean no disrespect to the church or the government. But I think that these three girls — Masha, Katya, Nadya — I think that they have done something courageous. I think they have paid the price for this act. And I pray for their freedom.”

Later, she appeared on stage in a black bra with the name of the band written in bold letters on her back. She also donned a balaclava, the band’s trademark headgear.

Madonna has subsequently become the target of terrorist threats. In Russia, where critics of Putin have a habit of turning up dead and celebrity status is no guarantee of immunity, those threats have to be taken seriously.

So here’s to Madonna, who not only understands the artistic freedom she enjoys as an American, but is also brave enough to speak out on behalf of those who don’t share that freedom — on their turf.